8 Hard Lessons I Learned Building a $13M Marketing Agency Holdco (and Scaling Back to $5M Profitably) (Jordan Ross Solo)

In this episode, Jordan Ross unpacks how he scaled his holding company to $13 million in annual revenue — and why he intentionally scaled it back to $5 million to regain clarity, control, and profitability.

He breaks down the biggest lessons learned in hiring, equity structuring, and partnership dynamics that every agency owner should understand. Whether you’re building a single business or managing multiple ventures, these insights will help you avoid common pitfalls and scale with precision.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Building a $13M Holding Company

02:03 – Why A+ Talent Changes Everything

03:28 – Hiring and Scaling With Intention

04:38 – Date Before Marriage: Partnership Timing

06:30 – The True Value of Equity

09:49 – Vesting Schedules That Prevent Regret

11:20 – Defining Ownership in Complex Structures

12:40 – Why You Should Pay As You Go

14:23 – Revenue Share Benchmarks That Work

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